#I’m super intrigued by Balthazar

[ataraxiasflame]

Ok, I don’t want to stir the pot here, but I was having a conversation with my sister (who is in no way connected to the online fandom or under any ‘ship’ influence at all) and we had some very interesting discussions because of her lack of ‘influence’. It was really refreshing to hear opinions from someone who is (for the sake of this point) 100% ‘neutral’.

Though there were several interesting points in our conversation, there was one I HAD to share because as soon as the point came up, it made my mind go into overdrive.

Those of us who have read the CC series from the start….do you all remember after book 1, the Ruhn fans (those of us who loved him before Ch 3 of HOSAB) were very much pro-Ruhn-Hypaxia because of all the subtle clues in HOEAB. There was a lot of admiration and appreciation of Hypaxia from Ruhn, dare I say, very similar to Azriel’s appreciation of Gwyn in ACOSF?

And what happened in the next book? Hypaxia/Ruhn was a smokescreen for the real endgame which was Ruhn and Lidia, a character who was already introduced in book 1 though there were zero clues that she would be important to the rest of the series.

So what’s my point? I don’t really have any investment in Gwynriel (I think they’d make a cute couple but I won’t lose sleep over it), but given that SJM has proven in the past few books she’s released that she’s not above an unpredictable plot twist (even ones that don’t make sense), I think it’s not entirely impossible that Gwyn could have a different LI, maybe one who has already been introduced but without any clear reason why….say a Balthazar for instance?

I’m not trying to discredit any ships at all (if you come for me, I’ll just point out that Gwynriel would support my own ship)…what my sister and I did realise is that SJMs writing has changed since her ToG days and this kind of manoeuvre does feel like a possibility now.

(Now, logically, I know that the infamous bonus chapter might seem pointless then, and the argument that Azriel is hinted at getting a book, therefore who is his love interest if not Gwyn, and to that I say, you’re probably right. But could it be a smokescreen just like Hypaxia was?)

My point is just that SJM has developed a taste for throwing curve balls (Ahem…the million involving Danika come to mind) and I think it would actually be hilarious if after all these years and the insane ship wars over Azriel, if he doesn’t end up with Elain OR Gwyn.

(Also, I can laugh at this because I’m not an Azriel fan, but if you don’t see the humor in this, I apologize 😅)

[luciensfox]

ACOSF Thoughts...

Don’t read unless you wish to be spoiled! Here are some things I can’t get out of my head after finishing the book...

Well first and foremost, I absolutely adore Nessian (as I always have but now it’s even more so) and I’m incredibly pleased with the direction it seems that SJM is leading Nesta’s character development! I’ve always wanted a badass warrior Nesta and I got way more than I figured (short of her growing wings at any time as I think some Valkyrie myths depict, this is amazing/ especially with all of the parallels people drew with her and Enalius). She’s going to make for an interesting character in the coming books and dare I say...commander Nesta. Oh, yes.

Of course I’ve always been obsessed with Lucien and nothing has changed on that front, but I’m even more intrigued now because we still need so many answers. When will it be revealed that he’s the heir of the Day Court? What’s the standings between he and Tamlin? With Vassa and Jurian? With his mother/ brothers? His mate? We literally got only two or three scenes with Luc involved so I knew nothing would be resolved in this novella, however I’m even more excited to see how Eris will play into his character arc come the next story (because you cannot convince me that SJM would put more emphasis on Eris than Lucien in this book and not intend for some brotherly angst in the future). Eris is also an anomaly and maybe it’s because I’m obsessed with the mysterious nature of whatever the hell is happening in the Autumn Court, but I really can’t wait to see what’s up with him and the rest of his family. (Also....the ballroom scene with Nest and Eris dancing to what is supposed to reflect Black Swan was one of my absolute favorite scenes.) Does Eris secretly desire peace and wants to take over Autumn not for power but to make amends and heal/ bring back glory to his home? And what exactly happened with Mor? SJM put so much emphasis on that too and we still have no idea.

I LOVE Gwyneth and Emerie. The triad of Valkyries was honestly the best part of the whole book for me. I know everyone is quick to match up characters with potential romances/ mates etc and it sounds like that’s what will happen with these two...but let’s not forget that they’re incredibly strong characters on their own terms and I hope whatever comes about their arcs isn't entirely placed on their romance status. However, they both seem to want to find someone to be with which leads me to believe that Emerie and Mor will very likely end up together (if only for the fact that we got one sentences indicating Em finds Mor gorgeous....I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens) and that Gwyn is going to be a potential interest for Azriel. 

I love Lucien so much, but my soft fox boy needs to heal and stop forcing himself to find romantic love when all he really needs is some self love. (So perhaps that will be his final journey....Lucien finally coming to terms with his trauma, settling ties with everyone from his past, and taking up his mental as Helion’s son and the future of the Day Court.) 

Elain seemed a bit OOC...and yet not at all? We’ve only got the chance to see the “sweet/ innocent” side of her, but it makes sense that she’s going to be a super complex character (SJM wouldn't have set her up so mysteriously if the intent was to leave her as a mere gardener) and that her journey in following books will show us a side of her we’ve never encountered. The Elriel ship has always been a confusing one for me, not because I don’t ship it but because there’s so much happening all the time that it’s hard to get a proper read on clues when SJM throws characters like Gwyn at us...coupled with the fact that Lucien seems to still be in love with Elain (or at least he’s just lonely and doesn't know how else to react, never mind whatever is happening with Vassa and Jurian), and that Az seems intent on getting with Elain....but Az also seems to be the type of character who falls in love deeply without considering a number of things. He’s driven by his desires and often hurt by them, hence his love for Mor. Notice how shortly after he started drifting from his desire for Mor, he started to desire Elain? Part of me wonders if it’s because he found the person he’s meant to be with...or if he felt attracted to her and she was a distraction to his pain and a means to help him get over Mor. Like I said, I don’t know which way I lean just yet but these are all possibilities!

Then there’s the Gwynriel ship--totally didn’t see that coming but I can’t say I don’t enjoy it. I love how Gwyn teases Az in a way that many others usually don’t dare, and that she’s another character with a history outside of the IC. While there’s a lot to consider, like the fact that Az’s shadows shy away when Elain is around but “dance” and seem to be overjoyed when Gwyn is nearby, I think a truly noticeable parallel to the pairing could be this:

Azriel is no stranger to unrequited love. In fact, that seemed to be his overarching characteristic for the first two books. Now that he’s found Elain and she also reciprocates their shared desire, it would be easy to pair them together. However, Gwyn seems to be interested in Azriel and Az can’t seem to figure out his standings with her other than being enticed and not realizing what’s in front of him because he’s so determined to be with Elain since “she’s the third sister and he the third brother” etc so it must make sense somehow even though Elain is mated. But Gwyn, to that extent, is no stranger to unrequited love either. 

Just imagine: Azriel finally cracks in the following book and shows a rare display of emotions to either Gwyn or the IC (or both) and Gwyn decides to confront him about facing his fears (his past with Mor, his current standings with Elain, his desire to have someone) by claiming that she knows exactly what unrequited love feels like because every day she stares at him and feels precisely as devastated as he did/does whenever he sees Mor or Elain. Az will probably be shocked to all hell and maybe it’ll snap him out of his misery enough to think clearly on the whole matter.

The Rhysand and Nesta friendship was something else I wasn’t expecting, didn’t necessarily think I’d want, but now am excited to see bloom. They definitely do share traits and I can’t help but remember how Rhys once compared Feyre to Cassian and how Nesta and Rhys might be the opposite counterparts since they’re both haughty and respond to things with incredibly heightened emotions because they love fiercely. 

This post is much longer than I’d intended but oh well, some other things for your consideration.....

A Varian/Amren x Nessian double date.

Nesta taking on a similar military role as Cassian and either leading a female unit of Illyrians/ Valkyries or sharing the brunt of Cassian’s job (plus come on... those two training together is essentially their respective version of foreplay and I’m so here for warrior Nessian bonding).

I hope we get to see that mating ceremony scene!

Also....does anyone remember Balthazar--the Illyrian who showed up for one scene and fell asleep on Nesta’s shoulder during the Blood Rite while he helped them find shelter? There’s no way SJM would’ve written in a character like that without intending for him to show up again in the future....

Koschei the deathless? Wonder what will occur there. 

Damn, if you’ve made it this far give yourself a pat on the back. 

[duskandstarlight]

Okay but I want Balthazar and Nesta friendship. I find his character so interesting and it's a shame we didn't get more of him. What do you think about him?

"Good luck, Archeron." - Balthazar 👌👌👌

That would be super intriguing. I warmed to him immediately and I’m so intrigued to know more!

[douxreviews]

Dredd Review

Dredd: "I am the law."

Brutal, bloody, and surprisingly good, this new version of an adaptation of the Judge Dredd comic series comes alive with unexpectedly excellent performances and some gorgeous artistic visuals.

Set in the future after a nuclear apocalypse, the entirety of the United States lives in a single Mega-City with a population of about 800 million people. Within this city are structures known as Mega Blocks which house upwards of 70,000 people. The chaos of that kind of society is protected by a law enforcement agency that gives individuals the power to act as police, judge, jury, and even executioner. These Judges are feared, and extremely deadly.

We are immediately introduced to Dredd (Karl Urban), a one man army with a single expression (a menacing scowl), and a monotone gravelly voice. He sees only the law, and the rules that are the only thing keeping Mega-City One from devolving into chaos. He is tasked with evaluating Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) to see if she is worthy of becoming a judge. She is the first person who's mutation, inflicted from generations of living in the radiation-impacted outskirts of the city, is a genuine gift. This mutation is a pivotal aspect of the character and used intelligently throughout the plot instead of as a throwaway character trait. She seems timid at first, and Dredd seems disposed to think of her as a failure, especially given her poor performance during training. But her quiet strength, determination, and innate goodness make her both a likeable character and an intriguing one.

Dredd, on the other hand, is a little harder to warm up to, but he is ultimately an interesting character that is more than armor deep. Which is remarkable because we never see his full face, and he never deviates from his monotone voice or single expression. I have to give massive kudos to Karl Urban for somehow bringing depth to what is essentially a true action archetype. He doesn't grow as a character, so I'm not sure how or why he becomes compelling as the story goes along. Perhaps there is something that rings true in the single-minded way he acts. This consistency of motivation makes him understandable, even if we never really learn anything substantial about him.

Dredd and Anderson chose to investigate a particularly nasty triple homicide that traps them in a situation that should be impossible to escape from. Dragging along an unwilling prisoner (Wood Harris – Avon Barksdale from The Wire) they have to figure out why they are being assaulted, and try to somehow survive an increasingly deadly onslaught of enemies. Leading the assault is a despicable woman named Madelaine Madrigal, nicknamed Ma-ma (Lena Headey). She is a former prostitute turned crime-lord who has created a highly addictive drug called Slo-Mo, which slows the user's perception to 1% of normal time.

This drug provides some of the most impressive visuals of the movie. The transition to super slow motion is simply breathtaking, because the image gets heightened with a unique glimmer that makes any source of light or reflective surface sparkle. These beautiful images are often amidst the most brutal violence, conjuring up a conflict of emotions upon seeing the sheer beauty of that unspeakably bloody violence. When these glacially moving moments in time speed back up, we are thrown into the gritty truth of that violence, but somehow it is never jarring. I don't think I've seen slow-motion used to such amazing effect before, and I doubt it could be pulled off in quite the same way again.

The plot wasn't exactly complicated, but it didn't need to be. It had just enough depth to it that it served the structure of the movie very well. Plus they never stayed in a single place long enough for the audience to notice that there might be any deficiencies. It wasn't perfect, but it had a level of tension and brutality most mainstream Hollywood movies would shy away from, unless they're horror. This movie is not a remake of Judge Dredd, the Sly Stallone bomb from '95, but because of that abysmal movie, I went into Dredd with almost no expectations. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this film, and found myself thoroughly entertained.

3 out of 4 Sparkly droplets of blood splattered against the screen in slow motion.

J.D. Balthazar is a confirmed nerd who loves most things sci-fi or fantasy-related.

[pomegranate-belle]

11 Questions

Tagged by: @zeesqueere, thank you, and sorry this took me so long!

Tagging: @rawkhawkjock, @chessanator, @teashadephoenix, @returnsandreturns, if you guys want — and anybody else who wants to answer these!

1. How long have you been writing?

Uhhh since I was literate probably lmao — I was a very angry, repressed lil bby that got picked on a lot and my Kindergarten teacher nudged me towards expressing myself via the written word rather than with what little violence I could accomplish as a tiny six year old. And that, as they say, is history.

2. What are the major themes of your current wip(s)?

Courting the Sun-Dancer(?) (aka the one abt Alma and Navata): Regaining identity, cultural exchange, choice over fate, courage, loyalty, and the responsibilities of ruling

The still untitled story about Algernon and Tyderias: Homecoming, revenge, what it means to be alive, accepting your talents, learning to love others as they are, sacrifice, and true love

3. What do you want people to take away from your story once they’ve read it?

I don’t know, hope, I guess? It’s not the reason I’m writing them or even the point behind the plots but I wish I’d had stories like this (read: Not Straight Ones) growing up. Mostly I just want people to enjoy reading the things I write.

4. Would you be excited if people write fanfiction about your wip(s)?

I’d be honestly startled given the lack of information to work from right now lol, but I’m super jazzed any time something I write spurs other people to create. :)

5. What’s your go-to writing beverage?

I don’t think I have one but I will say I really had a productive night that one time I went out and drank like three vodka lemonades while working on a character, lmao

6. Who is your favorite oc? Tell me about them!

Ooh, playing favorites is mean... But yeah ok it’s definitely Mauve Sebella (incidentally, she’s also the character from the previous answer—)

She’s gone through about three different iterations as I tried to find a story for her. At first, she was a main character and much more whimsical — a burglar looked after by the remnants of her mother’s iron-smuggling operation. So she was kind of this happy-go-lucky gentleman thief type character with One Million Dads. The plot of that story fizzled out pretty quickly, and I set her aside for a while, but eventually I found use for a character with her specific powers so I dusted her off and gave her an unhappier backstory and an attitude adjustment.

As she stands now, there was no one decent to look after her and keep her safe after her mom died, so she was in a bad situation where everyone was either trying to murder her or use her powers for their own gain. She ended up as a child soldier due to her “magic-eating” eye and became the most infamous assassin on the continent. It’s the perfect conceit for the world she’s in because it means she travels a lot and I can use her as a side character in almost any story set in that world.

7. Do you feel that mistakes are important learning tools in the writing journey?

I guess? I don’t really think about things like that, lol

8. Rank your ocs by their capability in a footchase (either running after or from smth, your choice)

Navata is dead last for the obvious reason that she spends 90% of her time on land in a wheelchair. Then Charles DeWitte, then his younger sister Lucille, then Algernon Parson, then Alma, then Tyderias, then Mauve. Prince Balthazar is the fastest because he’s A Literal Werewolf and his running stamina is totally wild.

9. Does your wip have romance? tell me about it!! if not tell me about a friendship/important relationship in your wip!!

So many romances. So many.

Algernon/Tyderias: my Fake Married boys!! They’re a little suspicious of each other at first, but get over it pretty quickly. Algernon is a natural caretaker and he has an instinct to protect Ty pretty much from the beginning. Ty, who’s a bit jaded from, you know, being an exiled prince and unable to stop his father’s killers from taking over his kingdom, is intrigued by Algernon since he’s just a genuinely good person. Both of them are hiding parts of themselves at the beginning and it causes trouble when the truth comes out, but they pull together when it counts. They take interest in each other’s hobbies and it leads to some self-discovery along the way. Both of them try very hard not to fall love while they have to pretend to be married but uh, it does not work at all.

Alma/Navata: These two are definitely an “opposites attract” couple! Navata is a queen who cares more about being approachable than being unquestionable. She has chronic pain that limits her ability to do things, but she’s fun-loving and doesn’t let her limitations discourage her. She’s a terrible artist and not really what anyone would call graceful even if she’s beautiful. By contrast, Alma is closed off with a solemn, cold image that discourages people from disrespecting her. She looks tougher than Navata, with lots of scars, but she’s much more elegant. They’ve each given things up for the sake of their position, but together they are able to recapture parts of themselves that have fallen by the wayside. They learn about one another’s cultures as Alma competes in suitor trials to win Navata’s hand.

Balthazar/Charles: These two are the original romance plot from the world Alma, Navata, and Mauve are from. Their story is on the back-burner right now but I still love them. Bal is rough around the edges but kind and earnest. Charles is kind of a flirt and he’s good at being charming; he’s knowledgeable, but he can also be a little naive, especially when it comes to his own family. Charles and Bal are childhood best friends who have been nursing crushes on each other for years and years. They share pretty much everything with each other — for example, even though Charles is very close with his sisters, it’s Bal he goes to first when something’s troubling him. And Bal is very protective of Charles, because he knows Charles’ dad treats him badly. However, Bal is unwillingly betrothed to Charles’ younger sister, Lucille. He plans to fight it and express his feelings to Charles, but his plan gets derailed when, during Bal’s coronation ball, Charles is hit with a curse that freezes him in ice. Bal spends the next five years doing everything he can to break the curse while the ice slowly overtakes his castle.

10. Do you believe in the advice kill your darlings?

Umm probably not?

I think needlessly making your characters suffer is just an exercise in sadism, lol, but I do think you’ll get a bad story if you helicopter parent as well and don’t let your characters make mistakes and suffer consequences.

As for “killing your darlings” in terms of getting rid of scenes or plot lines that you love... I think it’s stupid. If you remove the parts of your story that make you happy just so it will be nebulously “better”, aren’t you destroying what makes it yours instead of just some stupid formulaic “best seller”? I don’t know, that’s just how I feel about it.

11. Do you prefer plotting or worldbuilding? Why?

Plotting, definitely. Worldbuilding can be fun when it comes easy but other times you’re staring at a blank page trying to come up with fantasy names or mindlessly researching which fruits grow in what climate and you just want to stab yourself with a pencil. Don’t even get me started on dealing with how to represent different languages without having to actually Tolkien it and spend fifty years fucking inventing them. I’m not a linguist, dammit, I’m an author.

[inhumansforever]

Ms. Marvel #25 Review

spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers

The ‘Teenage Wasteland’ story arc begins here as Kamala’s buddies try to pick of the super heroing slack during Ms. Marvel’s mysterious absence.  From the creative team of G Willow Wilson, Nico Leon and Ian Herring Recap and review following the jump.

Ms. Marvel is missing and Jersey City has been left unprotected.  Kamala’s good friends, Zoe, Nakia, Mike and Gabe are all quite worried that all manner of mayhem might ensue were the all the bad guys outer to discover Ms. M’s absence.  Hence they have hoisted it upon themselves to take up Ms. Marvel’s mantel, dress up as her and keep the denizens of Jersey City safe and believing that their hero is there to protect them.  

And the city may very well need this protection, for the weird and evil scientist, Dr. Gregory Balthazar Knox, has just been granted parol and has been released from prison.  Knox is actually the super villain known as ‘The Inventor’ and is one of the first major adversaries Ms. Marvel tangled with in her short career as a costumed hero.   It looks like Kamala has chosen the wrong time for her sabbatical in that The Inventor is sure to be up to all manner of dastardly deeds now that he’s free.  

Elsewhere, Mike is roaming the rooftops of downtown Jersey City trying her best to fill Ms. Marvel’s shoes, and uniform, and there’s also a cheap wig (which she forgot to remove the price tag from).  

Mike spots a robber (who is very conveniently dressed as a robber) trying to pilfer some priceless pearls from an older woman.  Mike jumps onto the scene, using a rigged-together inflatable device to mimic Ms. marvel’s embiggoned fist.  At first the robber laughs at this un-intimidating display, but laughs no more when the inflated fist wallops him into next Tuesday.  Her job accomplished, Mike attempts to make a dramatic exit which results in her falling off a rooftop and into a dumpster.  

Back at Gabe’s basement hideout, Mike exclaims that she’s had it.  Playing the role of Ms. Marvel has been rather difficult and she has sprained everything that she has left to sprain.  It’s someone else’s turn to take a shift.  The others lament that this would all be easier were Kamala there to help.  None of Kamala’s pals know that she and Ms. Marvel are one and the same; the fact that Ms. M and Kamala have both gone missing at the same time seems to strike them as little more than a mere coincidence.  

In any case, Zoe agrees that she’s be next at playing the role of Ms. Marvel… she’s confident that it’ll go well; you know, since she’s been doing some cross/fit of late (plus she has a copy of ‘Pakour for Dummies’ so it’s certain to go fine).

The next day at school, their classmate, Neftali, has come looking for Kamala.  It’s Wednesday, sandwich day, and Neftali has brought with him a deluxe kosher hoggie for his pal.  This is the character’s first introduction in the pages of Ms. Marvel, but apparently the two are friends and usually share sandwiches on Wednesday.  He is perplexed by Kamala’s friend’s seeming lack of concern over Kamala’s whereabout.  

Nakia and the others have grown rather accustomed to Kamala disappearing for long spats at a time.   Between Ms. Marvel’s adventures as a solo hero coupled with her participation with both The Champions and Secret Warriors, Kamala likely misses a lot of school and the others seem to have just become used to it.  Neftali, however, doesn’t like it at all and sets upon finding out where Kamala is and delivering her her sandwich (or be mildly inconvenienced in trying).  

Fortunately, Neftali has a pretty boss scooter that he uses to shoot over the Khan household where he finds Aamir in the process of loading up a moving van, prepping for his and his new wife moving into an apartment of their own.   Aamir appears to know what’s up with his sister; she’s taking a break and Aamir is not about to spill the beans on her whereabouts.  Aamir is not about to get on his sister’s bad side; he and his wife are expecting a baby any day now and Aamir is going to need all the help (and babysitting) that Kamala may have to offer.  Still, Aamir is able to convince Neftali that Kamala is okay and that he has no need to worry about her wellbeing.  

That night, Zoe has donned the Ms. Marvel garb and wig and doing her part to patrol the city and assure the citizenship that Ms. Marvel still has their backs.  Smartly, Zoe has chosen an affluent, low-crime neighborhood to patrol.   It is here that Zoe is approached by Laal Khanjeer, The Red Dagger.  

The Dagger sees right through Zoe’s disguise.  He knows the real Ms. Marvel quite well and is rather certain she doesn’t have blue eyes and caucasian skin.  He demands to know what has been down with the real Ms. Marvel, but Zoe is able to turn the tables on him by asking why it is he’s so interested…  The Dagger has a big ol’ crush on Ms. Marvel and he bashfully goes on the defensive, explaining that things did not go so well between them on their last adventure together; he’s been quite worried about her.

Zoe and The Dagger’s conversation is cut short when a screaming old man rolls by on his slow-speed motorized rascal.  Newly arrived from Karachi, The Dagger is not sure whether or not such an occurrence is a normal thing here in the states.  Zoe has to admit it isn’t and she catches up with the old-timer to see what the problem is.   The man explains that he’s escaped his assisted living home because someone there has been locking up the residents in a science dungeon.  

Concerned that the old fellow might be suffering from some type of age related cognitive issue, Zoe and The Dagger escort him back to the Sundown Senior Sanctuary.  Whist doing so, The Dagger laments that in his home country they would never treat their elders in such a way; one’s grandparents deserve respect and should be cared for by their families.  Here here.  

Despite the old man’s claims of peril, the Sundown Senior Sanctuary seems to a nice enough place.  There’s a spirited game of checkers going down as well as an old codger who appears perfectly content chucking a bunch of stuffed animals out the window (which does look rather fun).  

Despite the apparent lack of any danger, The Dagger insists that he and Zoe have a look around just to be sure.  Begrudgingly, Zoe agrees and as they look around they encounter Bob the orderly who demands they vacate immediately.  This ‘Bob’ is quite obviously Dr. Gregory Balthazar Knox.  Yet, in his guise as a super villain, Knox wore this weird bird costume so neither recognize him (although Zoe does sense something familiar about him).  

Quite suddenly, a mechanical arm crashes through the wall, its mechanized hand grabbing Zoe and picking her up.  The Dagger tries to rescue her but they both end up falling down to the side of the building.  Fortunately they land safely in the pile of stuffed animals that old dude had been chucking out the window.  Thanks gramps!

The two get up and see before them the creature that had attacked them: some type of giant chameleon cyborg!  Uh oh!   

And it is here that the issue concludes with the promise of continuation.  

It’s an interesting and fun irony that an issue that doesn’t feature a single appearance of the real Ms. Marvel should feel so unequivocally ‘Ms. Marvel-esque’ in tone, style and substance.  The quippy but authentic dialogue, continued strong character development, and fun but still perilous adventure is all here… it’s only Kamala herself who is missing.  Yet I don’t miss her too terribly in that I love her supporting cast and am quite happy for a story arc putting them in the center spotlight.  

Zoe especially shined in this issue.  She is such an intriguing characters in that she has transformed so much from her first appearance (where she was a one-dimension and stereotypical cheerleader mean-girl) to her current status as a wholly unique, fully fleshed-out, interesting and relatable character.  Zoe is merely a component of Ms. Marvel’s supporting cast, yet she has more depth and development of personality than most characters who star in their own book (or books plural).  It reminds me of the Lee/Ditko era of Amazing Spider-Man where Petey’s pal, Harry Osborn, Gwen Stacy, Flash Thompson and Liz Allen all played pivotal roles in the stories, making Spidey’s world feel real and multidimensional.  

Zoe and The Red Dagger make for a great pairing.  Outside of their shared concern for Kamala, the two have almost nothing in common yet they play off one another in a wonderful fashion.  G Willow Wilson’s skill at providing her characters such a unique and idiosyncratic sense of voice makes the dialogue such a treat to read.  

I also appreciated the addition of Neftali to the crew.  It’s difficult to say what the story is with this guy, where he’s been all this time and how it is that he has access to such highly coveted sandwiches, but I’m definitely interested in learning more.  The scene between him and Aamir is particularly intriguing... not because of what is said, but rather what is not said.  I like that there can be a scene between one character who is quite obviously Muslim and another who is quite obviously Jewish and the matter of culture and religion is not at all a factor.  

Also, as a Jewish guy myself, it is always nice to see a fellow Jew introduced as a character.  I can already hear the haters lamenting the overtly political correctness of Kamala’s running crew being so very diverse, but representation does matter and it just feels good to see someone like me as a part of the Ms. Marvel cast.  

Likewise, I’m glad to see The Inventor make a subsequent appearance.  As a comic, Ms. Marvel really needs to start accruing a more stable rogues gallery; and the Inventor’s return is an excellent step in that direction.  It makes for an interesting twist that he has gone from targeting shiftless teenagers to setting his sights on shuffled-away senior citizens.  It’s sinisterly clever that he always goes after those who are pushed off to the fringes, who may be the least likely to be missed.  Based on his prior appearance, The Inventor has expressed a particular animosity toward those he see as not contributing to society; perhaps he feels the same way toward the elderly.  He’s just a bad dude.  

A lot of the fellow Ms. Marvel fans I’ve spoken with are still holding out hope that Kamala/Bruno might still happen.  Although it’s a shipping I respect, I actually much prefer Kareem.  Of course I would also be fine with Kamala not having a love interest at all.  She’s just a teenager and anything outside of holding hands is likely to be more than what she is currently interested.  Still, I think the Red Dagger is super cool and I’m psyched that he’s going play a central role in this adventure.  

Artist, Diego Olortegu, had illustrated the previous two issue.  Mr. Olortegu is a very talented artist, yet I didn’t feel as though he was a particularly good fit for Ms. Marvel.  This issue is illustrated by Nico Leon who is much more apt in capturing that distinctive look and aesthetic that has come to be something of a hallmark of the title.  Similar to Adrain Alphona and Takeshi Miyazawa, Leon absolutely excels at providing the kinds of facial expression, panel layouts, detailed backgrounds, sight gags and all the fun little tidbits that makes the series so special.  In particular, I liked Gabe zipping about his basement on a hover-board, Zoe’s reading ‘Pakour for Dummies,’ and the sign at the Sundown Senior Sanctuary reminding residents not to feed cake to Fluffy the dog.  

I’ve long-since run out of ways to laud Ian Herring’s color work, so I’ll just repeat once more that it is flawless and Mr. Herring’s coloring has remained just as crucial a component to the specialness of Ms. Marvel as the wrting and illustration.

Another fantastic read and highly recommended.  This is the last issue of Ms. Marvel for 2017 and I can say once more that the series has easily earned a spot on my top ten best comics of the year. A must read.  Five out of Five Lockjaws.  

[durenjtmusings]

How to Die the Supernatural Way

[OR observations about type and quantity of deaths in Supernatural]

So - completely inspired by @chiisana-sukima​‘s posts about TFW Kills in Supernatural and the WAY cool Super-wiki Table of Death , I share with you some of my analysis and observations about how things GET killed in SPN.

There were SO MANY fun things to think about and discuss that this is likely the 1st of several posts. This one, however, will focus on the BIG picture - Just HOW MANY deaths have occurred in the SPN Canon and the MOST LIKELY ways to get dead on Supernatural. For those of you who aren’t interested in the details, the TL;DR answers are:

A) Approximately 1,555 total deaths across 11.75 seasons...OR maybe 13,000+ depending on how you count. [So, some possible margin of error here.] Using the 1555 number, that’s about 132 deaths per season or 6 per episode on average.

B) THE most likely ways to die in SPN are:

Get stabbed (with a wide range of things) 261/1555 deaths or 16.8%

Just DIE (with no clear cause given) 204*/1555 deaths or 13.1%*

Get shot (any number of ways) 194/1555 deaths or 12.6%

Be decapitated (primarily vamp/monsters) 92/1555 deaths or 5.9% (note that ‘decapitated by a machete’ is over 2/3 of these deaths)

*or 78% of over 13,000 deaths, because of gross, arguable outliers

That’s it, this short list covers almost 50% of the deaths on SPN. After that, it gets much STRANGER and more likely to be unique.

For tables and further exploration of where these numbers came from, as well as some HIGHLY entertaining observations on the VARIETY and RANGE of ways to get stabbed, or dead in SPN, read on below the cut.

To start, a few notes about the provided data’s definitions and quality that I gleaned during my analysis:

death meant pretty much anything that we saw or heard about dying (on or off screen, reported by someone, referred to, etc.). And by anything we mean people, demons, angels, monsters, and even a cat.

data was collected by fan volunteers and thus quality is as high as non-scientific obsession is expected to be (so pretty good, really).

death was defined as the ‘ending’ of something, thus spirits laid to rest were included, but demons exorcised were not.

I ignored any deaths that were, in fact, faked (so not actual deaths). Deaths that were later reversed or reincarnated or otherwise negated (but DID happen) were included.

The arguable Gross Outliers previously mentioned were all ‘off screen death’ references in canon:

1517 Titanic passengers saved and then ‘killed’ via time loop in 6.17 by Balthazar.

“thousands” of Women and Children of Carthage, Missouri in 5.1 by Lucifer/demons. [No actual # given, place DOES exist, 5.1 was in 2010, 2010 US census number crunching provides a total of 9372.]

“1,000s of Residents of Lewis, Oklahoma” in 11.21 by the Darkness [no such place exists, closest is St Louis, OK which had  888 residents in 2016]

I’ve chosen to leave these out entirely as either a) non-specific #s were given in canon and I can’t do actual math with numbers like “1000′s” or b) time loop lives/deaths are highly debatable. YMMV, but I don’t recommend arguing with the Death Researcher.

SO - after removing these three big ones as well as the ‘fake deaths’ (and debating long and hard over the cat) I did some additional clean up in order to get these grand totals. This clean up was required mostly because our Super wiki SPN fans were a) inconsistent in *naming* deaths and b) VERY specific in naming deaths.  To clarify this issue, I present to you the unbelievably entertaining raw data on “stabbing” deaths and some examples of data that was ‘cleaned’ for ease of analysis. I mean seriously, this table just about sums up the cult horror/cheese-o-rama factor in SPN.

So, looking at this table, you can see significant redundancies in naming conventions. To address this, initially:

yellow was all consolidated into “Stabbed with an Angel blade”

blue was consolidated into “Stabbed with silver blade (etc)”

pink was removed from this category entirely and added to “Staked.”

Then stuff like Ruby’s knife and First Blade references were clumped, flashback lines were merged with regular lines, etc. and

some other stabbing things from elsewhere in the big list were added

and then later the whole list was clumped together to create “Stabbed.”

Similar processes were used to create the shot and decapitated category. The “Just DIE” category, however, was created because the data collectors listed simply N/A for the “how” of the death. An examination of the episodes and who was killed by whom data revealed that these were generally deaths that happened off screen and ‘talked about’ as either ‘kills’ or ‘deaths’ without specific cause. Leaving us with a significant majority of folks who “just die” on SPN. How convenient for the special effects guys and the budget. Go figure.

Now this ultra consolidated data, while helpful at cocktail parties, is simply not as interesting as what I will call the ‘Basic Causes of Death’ data. For this, I clumped together things like “shot in the head” with “shot in the heart” etc. as “shot” but left things like “shot with the Colt” or “stabbed with an Angel blade” (special deaths) separate for data comparison. This presented a more nuanced look at SPN deaths from which I present to you:

TOP 50 WAYS TO DIE on Supernatural:

My favorite above really is #4 “decapitated with a machete.” This death method really speaks to SPNs prejudice against vampires and/or their use of them as a handy “poor monster trash”. Plus our actors just look cool waving around machetes.  I ALSO love that Jefferson Starships show up twice on this list - both as the perpetrators and as the CAUSE of the deaths.

Other random interesting data points from just this list alone relate to the relative popularity of certain weapons. For example, swords don’t even make the list and axe/hatchet is way down at #38 (with only 6 kills) while knife-type weapons that stab, decapitate and slash are all over the top 20. Also intriguing is the relative popularity of death by being eaten (36 deaths - yea Leviathans), as opposed to death by eating (gorging - 15). In addition, the relatively low death by being exsanguinated/drained of blood (7 and NOT the same as Bled to death) seems odd what with all the vamp decapitations going on.

We are also encouraged to do some of our own data refinement research to determine how “impaled” is different than “stabbed” or “staked” or “speared” and to determine what “self sacrificed” really means (5.1  - twenty three demons - I’m pretty sure Lucifer was involved, but if he didn’t kill them, how DOES a Demon commit suicide?). Oh look, more reasons to re-watch previous seasons. JUST what we/I needed...

Ok, enough of this silliness for tonight. Feel free to ask me questions - I love to crunch the #s and will happily share my uniquely eccentric data analysis documents if you wish. More of this kind of detailed (and sometimes hilarious) data analysis and comparison yet to come!

[waywarddaughterwrites]

Do You Feel It?

A/N: I absolutely LOVE the “seeing wings = soulmates!” troupe. However, the fics I’ve come across for Gabriel always seem to have him getting super excited super quickly. I feel like it would be a more emotional moment that takes a moment to adjust to. I wanted to see him vulnerable and flustered. Here’s my take on the idea of wings and soulmates. 
Pairing: Gabriel/Reader 
Warnings: fluffy fluff 
Synopsis: “Angles have this…thing. About angels. And angel wings.” ______________________________________ Gabriel. The name was familiar, obviously. Besides perhaps Lucifer, he was the most well known Angel, even if I hadn’t been raised Christian. I’d learned about the Archangel Gabriel in the same breath I’d learned about Jesus, seeing how he announced Jesus’s existence to the Virgin Mary. His name was spoken in a reverence by every religious figure I’d met growing up, he was a biblical fixture in my life. Which is why I was left a bit short for words when Sam and Dean announced his impending arrival with undisguised disdain. “Gabriel. THE Gabriel. Is coming here? To help us with a hunt?” Sam gave a disgruntled sigh, “yeah. Hopefully he won’t be here long and we won’t have to deal with him too much.” I knew the stories about the boys’ run-ins with the angel. As much of a show as they put on, they didn’t seem to hate him as much as they hated some of the other angels. There was a deep-seated distrust and vague annoyance, but their faces didn’t darken at his name like it did with others, which I took to be a good sign. Honestly, I loved the stories about Gabriel. While misguided, he seemed to have a good heart and sense of humor. I mean, come on, trapped in TV? It’s the single-greatest prank I’d ever heard of. The Mystery Spot mess was perhaps a little overboard, but the point he was tying to make to Sam was with good intention. Surely he’d redeemed himself, at least somewhat, in their eyes when he helped them against Lucifer. It had broken my heart to think he’d almost died, even though I’d never met him. It was several years later that the boys found me hunting a rugaroo solo and had taken me in. I’d been with them for about a year now, so it surprised me that I hadn’t met Gabriel. I was quite looking forward to it, much to the apparent annoyance on the Winchesters’ faces. If they’d expected me to be sulky about this interesting turn of events and expansion into my hunting life, they were sorely disappointed. “(Y/n) really, he’s not that big of a deal, and if you act like he is, it’s going to go straight to his head and make him even more of an annoying jerk than he already is.” Dean piped up, “Not to mention he did technically kill me, like, a lot. No matter what funny façade he presents, you can’t afford to forget how dangerous he can be. In fact…maybe it’s best if you aren’t here when he comes. The less he knows about you, the better, if you ask me.” “Are you kidding me, Dean?” I turned to Sam, who had an expression that was starting to mirror Dean’s. “Sam, you’ve got to be kidding me! I am a grown woman, the two of you are not my keepers!” They may have taken the place of surrogate brothers in my life, but they most certainly did not have any authority over me. “If I want to meet the infamous Archangel Gabriel, I will, and you cannot stop me. Dean, no-” Dean had opened his mouth, about to argue. “I was hunting for YEARS before I met the two of you. I’ve met every monster imaginable and my religion is one of the only things I’ve held on to from my pre-hunting life. I’ve been around Cas a ton and hell, I’ve literally met Mr. Call Me Chuck himself! You say Gabriel has information that could help us, by Chuck, I’m going to be there to meet him with you and there’s nothing you can do about it!” I finished, a little childishly, just short of stomping my foot and sticking out my tongue. “This one’s firey, I like her. Where’d you find her?” Startled, the three of us whipped around. Standing in the middle of the library behind us was a (rather attractive) man. He was much shorter than the boys, but a couple inches taller than me. He had golden blonde hair and caramel-colored eyes that seemed to constantly sparkle like he was mid-laugh. His face was upturned in an amused smirk. He noticed me watching him and gave me a wink. “Gabriel, Archangel of the Lord, but I believe you’ve figured that out.” He turned to the boys, “No holy fire? No pre-drawn angel banishing sigils? Boys, I don’t know whether to be disappointed in your lack of preparedness or impressed with your increasing capacity for trusting people. What can I do you for?” The boys begrudgingly began explaining to Gabriel the details of the case. We suspected the witch we’d been tracking had somehow gotten hold of a Hand of God. With Gabriel’s attention fixed on the boys (or, mostly fixed. Every so often he would glance at me, almost like he was sizing me up. It was both intriguing and intimidating) I took a moment to examine the most incredible feature of my new acquaintance: the six massive golden wings protruding from his shoulder blades. They seemed to fill the entire room. They looked like they were spun with pure gold. Not only did they reflect light, they seemed to radiate light and warmth. There was an edge of one of the wings near me. I resisted the urge to reach out and stroke it. I wanted to know if they were as soft as they looked, but I didn’t want to overstep any weird angel boundaries. I couldn’t help but be a little confused. I’d been around Cas a hundred times. I’d met Hannah and Balthazar. Why had they kept their wings hidden? Gabriel seemed to be proud of his, showing them off like he was. Every so often he would give them a gentle shake, as if he was adjusting them, causing the light to ripple down his feathers. The effect was mesmerizing. If Cas’ wings were half as beautiful, surely he’d want to show them off, too. “–(y/n)? (Y/n), you there?” I shook my head a little and turned to the three pairs of eyes watching me, waiting for a response. I wasn’t sure whether or not mentioning an angel’s wings was acceptable or appropriate, so I decided to keep my thoughts on their beauty to myself. “Sorry, I got lost in thought for a minute there. What were you saying?” Dean replied, “we were saying that we need hard proof before we go charging in, just in case this is the real deal. You ready to tank this bitch tomorrow?” “Sure,” I replied. “The three of us? Or…all of us?” I tried to ask innocently, glancing at Gabriel. With all my heart I wanted Gabriel to be there, too. However, I had only just met the man. I hadn’t even spoken to him yet. Why I so desperately wanted him to stay I didn’t know and I didn’t want to be…weird. Gabriel was watching me, dear Chuck I hoped he wasn’t reading my mind. “You, me, and Dean tomorrow,” came Sam’s reply. “We need to cover our bases and find out everything we can about what we’re dealing with tonight. If this truly is a Hand of God, we need to be prepared.” “I’ll be on standby,” Gabriel added. “Just a quick prayer and I’m there. Now, who’s hungry?” Gabriel ended up spending the afternoon at the bunker. After he popped in six pizzas (two topped with chocolate sauce and candy. It looked awful but according to him “candy goes good with everything”) Gabriel half-helped the boys research and half-spent his time talking to me. I tried to help research with the boys, but I couldn’t help myself talking to Gabriel. There was this strange pull I was feeling toward the angel. Perhaps it’s because he’s an archangel. Against my normal thorough hunter’s training, my head was only halfway in the researching while he sat across from me talking about his favorite biblical misconceptions and telling me stories about the boys from before I’d met them. “Here’s a thought,” I said two hours later after closing the book I’d been attempting to read from. “Why don’t we simply…ask Chuck?” “Well, we don’t exactly have him on speed-dial,” replied Sam. “Besides,” added Dean, “He split after the whole Amara thing, remember? ‘The world has you’ and all that bullshit. I doubt he’d answer even if we could call him.” I nodded my head, conceding to the reasonable argument. I grabbed another book and pulled it toward me. I could feel eyes on me. I looked up and my eyes met Gabriel’s. He was watching me with an intensity that almost made me uncomfortable. Instead of opening the book, I stood up, breaking eye contact. “I need some fresh air. I’m going for a walk.” The boys didn’t look up from the books they were engrossed in. Dean grunted and Sam gave a vague wave of acknowledgment. Determinedly not looking at the angel, I grabbed my jacket and walked across the room and up the stairs to the door. Making sure I had my key, I stepped out into the cool evening air. I took a deep breath and began walking. I barely paid attention to where I was headed, vaguely west toward the sunset. I had walked a radius around the bunker of a few miles in every direction during the year I’d spent here and my feet took me to one of my favorite spots: a small clearing in a grove of trees on a hillside, perfect for watching the sunset. I sat down and surveyed my surroundings. The air was definitely helping me clear my head. What was wrong with me? It was like Gabriel was clogging my senses, making my head fuzzy and warm. It was a strangely comfortable suffocation, one that was equal parts invited and confusing as hell. I had literally only met him this afternoon! I had never developed feelings for anyone this quickly, especially feelings this strong! It didn’t make any sense! “You feel it too, don’t you?” I stood up quickly, turning to the voice behind me. I relaxed immediately once I saw Gabriel. Which was also wrong! I was a hunter! What was I doing relaxing at the sight of a potentially dangerous creature that I barely knew? Gabriel seemed to read the mix of emotions on my face. “It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. I…don’t think I even could. I have this…weird pull toward you. Am I crazy? Do you feel it?” It was almost unnerving seeing him so vulnerable, asking for reassurance. The stories I’d read and learned about for as long as I could remember were of this mythical and intimidating figure of Heaven. The stories the boys had told me were of this powerful and annoyingly pretentious asshole. The man before me was…a man. He reached his hand up to awkwardly scratch the back of his neck, obviously uncomfortable with my silence. His wings twitched, causing the light from the setting sun to dance with the golden luminescence of his feathers. The movement caught my eye, which he noticed. His hand froze on his neck and his eyes widened. I met his eyes and his eyebrows cinched, mouth slightly agape. He shook one of his wings purposefully. I glanced toward the movement and back to his face, confusion I’m sure was evident on mine. His hand dropped from his neck and he released a long breath he had been holding. He took a step backward as if in shock and asked in a quiet voice, “…you can see them, can’t you?” Slowly, I nodded. “Gabriel…why can I see your wings, but not Castiel’s? Hannah’s? Balthazar’s? Do they keep theirs hidden?” Gabriel’s focus on me was intense as he seemed to gather himself. He cleared his throat and took a couple steps toward me. His hands looked like they were attempting to reach out and take my arms, but he was holding himself back. “Um…no. Not technically. There’s this…thing. About angels. And angel wings. Even we can’t see each other’s wings.” This surprised me, but it only deepened my confusion. Angels couldn’t see each other’s wings? So, why could I? “I guess that’s not entirely true,” he amended. “In certain…circumstances, we can. It’s simply one of those things. Showing your wings is kinda like showing your privates. It’s an intimate thing. Only reserved for special…partners…” he trailed off. I stepped toward him. We were inches apart. The fuzziness in my head was starting to return, along with a strange clarity. “Partners?” I pressed. “Well, more like…mates. Like…soul mates. It sounds cheesy, but only an angel’s soul mate is able to see an angel’s wings. You can’t see Castiel’s because he’s not your soulmate.” “But I can see yours. So that must mean…” “Yeah.” He closed the distance between us, allowing his hands to wrap around my back and hold me closer to him for a fiercely passionate kiss. I returned it with fervor. His hands trailed up my arms to cradle my face. My hands found their way to his hips and our bodies pressed against one another. Every cell in my body was on fire. Every ounce of my being was screaming how perfect this felt, how natural and overwhelmingly right. I wanted to kiss him for the rest of my life. I started to giggle while we kissed. He broke away and rested his forehead against mine. “What, in the name of my father, could be so funny at a moment like this?” He teased. I grinned at him. “I’m standing on a hill in a field kissing THE literal archangel Gabriel whom happens to somehow be my soulmate. If my mother could see me now…” he chuckled and kissed my nose. His wings, unbeknownst to me, had wrapped around us, forming a sort of cocoon around us both. I started to reach my hand toward the feathers close to me, but stopped. I glanced at Gabriel, who gave an almost imperceptible nod of permission. I continued my reach and stroked the feathers. They felt like clouds woven into a fabric. Their softness was indescribable and the warmth was comforting to the touch. Gabriel let out a hissing gasp the moment I made contact. I pulled my hand away and looked to him immediately, terrified that I had somehow managed to hurt him. He noticed my distress and kissed my forehead. “It’s okay. I’ve just…never felt anyone touch my wings before. It’s like if you suddenly had nerve endings in your hair. It’s startling, but extremely pleasant.” Just then, my cellphone began to buzz in my pocket. I pulled it out and glanced at the screen. “The boys seem to be getting worried…how long have we been out here?” I couldn’t see the sunset behind Gabe’s wings. When he pulled them back, I learned that not only had the sun gone down long ago, but the heat radiating from his wings had effectively blocked off the chill of the night. I was immediately onslaught by cold air and wrapped my arms around myself, shivering at the temperature difference. Gabriel noticed and held me in his arms. “Hold on tight, sugar,” he whispered in my ear before snapping us into the bunker’s living room. Dean and Sam, who had been sitting on the couch and in an armchair respectively, both jumped up as we materialized in front of them, concern evident in their faces. Concern that quickly turned into confusion and apprehension as they took in the protective and possessive way Gabriel was standing with his arms around me, and the comfortable way I was leaning my back against his front. Dean’s eyebrow slowly raised as he caught my eye. Grinning sheepishly, I looked at the two of them and said, “boys…you may want to sit down. I believe you both need a break from research and there’s some…things….that need to be talked about.”

[diminuel]

Reading any good fics right now? :)

I haven’t read lots of fics recently (*tiny tears about that*), but I’ll happily share what has been on my reading list this week!

Note: As far as I know the fics feature top!Dean and bottom!Cas, but as they’re WIPs and I haven’t finished reading all of them I can’t make any promises!

(I had to put this under a read more because it got too long *lol*)

Feel free to share your recent reading with me too! ♥♥

Highwaymen. by orange_crushed

Dean closes his eyes. He is under a blanket in his memories, fabric pulled up under his chin and his face pressed near to hers on the pillow. His father is asleep, snoring slightly, hands loose and expression happy, curled around her on the other side. She’s speaking in whispers. He knows that she was already pregnant then, that Sam was on his way into their lives, even though he’d had no idea what exactly that meant at the time. He can almost see her face still, warm and orange in the light of her lumos circling their heads like a firefly, but every now and then she blurs in his vision, like a lost thread of consciousness, something half-remembered.

Bit by bit, he’s losing her.

I’m only about half-way through with this, so I cannot exactly vouch for the ending. I’ve seen this story recommended by @tenoko1, in her Fic rec video and was intrigued. It’s set in the HP universe, but it’s not a boarding school AU. It felt nice to return to the world of HP and I must say that the writing is amazing. Also, if you want some Dean hurt (mostly emotional) this has got a very nice vibe!

Note: I’ve been told this contains bottom!Dean in the epilogue

Smoke Jumper by Nikolaus_Chaser

When Dean Winchester’s parachute fails to deploy in the middle of a raging forest fire, he prepares for death. What he never expects is for his life to be saved by a creature he didn’t even know existed until now.

I also haven’t finished this one yet, but I’ve greatly enjoyed the chapters I read. Again, hurt Dean! (Small warning for the threesome tag. Dean has a threesome with Balthazar and Lisa, but I was told that it’s easy to skip if that’s not your thing!)

The breath that passed from you to me by mariesondetre

When Dean Winchester had to stop hunting with his brother for a while to be treated in Waverly Hills tuberculosis sanatorium, he wasn’t expecting to meet someone who fought the same creatures as him. It turned out his doctor, Castiel Novak, was also a Man of Letters. And he was also going to become so much more for Dean…

This is a WIP I haven’t caught up to the newest chapter yet, but I really like the premise and the writing style. Also, it’s a historical AU and it deals with tuberculosis. It features hurt!Dean~ ;D

Before Romeo and Juliet… by be_more_specific

After the Romans left Briton, only feuding tribes remained. Led by Alphas, they battled for land and spoils, until one family tried to unite them against their common enemy: Ireland. The men of Winchester fought for the freedom of their land for many years until an opportunity presented itself in the strangest form.

Granted, they had never seen the Omega son of the Irish king, but if marriage was the way to bring peace there was no question it would be done.

Dean goes to win the hand of the mysterious Omega prince, thereby ensuring peace. There is only one problem, despite his earlier belief, he HAS met the Omega before. He met him and knew immediately the man was his true-mate. But Dean did not fight for the right to marry the Omega. He fought to give the Omega to his Lord, his King, his father…

Tristan and Iseult inspired but with Alphas and Omegas and sex and biting and Dean swinging a really big sword…

This one is a WIP and I don’t think I’m caught up yet with the newest chapter. But I really liked the historical setting (I always do). Also, some more hurt!Dean (because apparantly I’m having a phase). 

The Omega King by Delirius

Being an Omega, Castiel has largely avoided the bloody, bitter politics his elder brothers thrive on. He lives peacefully in their childhood home, and does not wish for power or wealth or glory.

But when an unknown enemy appears from the frozen fog of the Winter Seas, Castiel is captured and taken from everything he has ever known. Claimed as the prize of a man ambitious enough to challenge the most powerful Alpha Kings of their time, he slowly begins to realize that adventure and glory might come for him whether he wants them or not.

Also a WIP and I love, love this one! Like “Before Romeo and Juliet…” this story is historical, but more of a fantasy historical kind. There are dark aspects in this fic so make sure the check the tags! (Do I have to say it? There’s hurt Dean in this one too, but mostly emotionally hurt Dean.)

Running with the wolves by Dancingdog

Castiel made one mistake and it landed him with a child. Knowing his brothers would never accept an unmated omega with a child, Castiel chose not to tell his family about Samandriel for six years.

But Michael found out anyway and Castiel soon finds himself on the run from his furious family. To save both his and his son’s lives, he flees into the wilderness, where the ‘wild folk’ reside and they must learn to live as wolves rather than humans if they are to survive.

Except, the wild folk are not the savages Castiel was led to believe whilst growing up, and he finds that maybe being a member of Dean’s pack isn’t so terrible afterall.

Then his brother, Gabriel, shows up and takes an interest in Dean’s omega brother, Sam. The problem?

The Winchesters and Novaks have been enemies for centuries.

Wow, a WIP without hurt!Dean (well, okay, once he’s hurt too, but that’s Dean for you). This story actually features the characters mostly in wolf form, which I find an interesting change.

And some one-shots!

Deck the Halls by MoonlightBlizzard

A dragonnite’s nest was meant to be a safe heaven. Plain-colored, kept warm and clean and welcoming by the omegas for their alphas. But when Dean came home that day, he was greeted by a nasty surprise…

Super cute tiny dragons!!

Naga Dean and his wing kink by LucifersHitman

Summary: Dean loves to have his sweet little omega like this, large inky black wings soft (so soft) in his hands, using them to pull Cas down onto his cock, groaning low at how tight his husband was.

Naga!Dean PWP featuring some lovely kinks! ;DDDDDDDDDDD

Our last moments by CeNedraRiva

Castiel awoke to Dean’s eyes beside him, Dean’s hand on his shoulder. His vessel was hollow, free from Lucifer’s oppressive Grace. The Darkness was nowhere to be seen, and Chuck was sprawled across the dirty floor, Sam crouched besides him.

Something had gone terribly wrong.

And some Cas feels for those of us who wanted a bit more Cas in the S11 finale *tiny tears* 

[fashiontrendin-blog]

New Allegation: Photographer Terry Richardson Sexually Assaulted Designer In His Studio Doorway

http://fashion-trendin.com/new-allegation-photographer-terry-richardson-sexually-assaulted-designer-in-his-studio-doorway/

New Allegation: Photographer Terry Richardson Sexually Assaulted Designer In His Studio Doorway

Lindsay Jones never planned to speak publicly about her experiences with prolific fashion photographer Terry Richardson. The New York City-based designer and model considers herself a private person. She never wanted to harm anyone’s livelihood or hurt her own career or “cause drama” by divulging her story, she says.

But some stories are too important to stay buried forever ― especially at a moment when thousands of accounts, some similar to the one Jones has kept close to her chest, are being excavated.

“I have been sitting there quiet … for a long time,” Jones told HuffPost. No more.

Jones contacted HuffPost last month to talk about Richardson, famous for shooting the likes of Miley Cyrus, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Lena Dunham, Oprah Winfrey, James Franco, Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Jared Leto, Kate Moss and former President Barack Obama. During several phone conversations, Jones recalled how she met the photographer in either 2007 or 2008 for what she thought was a 10 a.m. coffee. She said she ended up leaving his studio in tears after Richardson cornered her, pulled out his penis and assaulted her.

She said she chose to come forward now because she believes it could help other women ― specifically younger women entering the modeling and fashion industry today. Though Jones stressed that the culture of predatory men in fashion includes more than just Richardson, he is certainly emblematic of the problem. The photographer has faced public allegations of sexual misconduct and assault for nearly a decade, but he has denied the abuse accusations and has continued to get work from major brands and publications. 

Many of his defenders, (and Richardson himself) reason that the incidents happened during the making of sexually charged art, when lines supposedly get blurred. But Jones’ story is different. In her telling, Richardson assaulted her after she’d barely gotten in the door.

Through his attorney, Lisa M. Buckley, Richardson “adamantly” denied Jones’ allegations. In a letter, Buckley referred to Jones as “an opportunistic publicity seeker” and said her account of the incident is “completely inconsistent with her actions over the ensuing years.” Buckley cited emails sent by Jones in which she asked to model for Richardson, retweets from Jones’ Twitter account and two comments on an Instagram post.

When presented with Buckley’s letter, Jones told HuffPost via text, “It still happened so I’m not [too] alarmed.” Of her wish to work with Richardson after the alleged assault, Jones said, “I was brainwashed into thinking it was good for my career but I feel more empowered now.”

Jones said she first met Richardson outside of Balthazar, an expensive and perpetually sceney French restaurant in New York, sometime in 2007. Richardson was with a friend, sitting on a bench outside the restaurant. Jones said they began speaking after he motioned her over and asked where she was from. They talked about Utah ― Jones is from Utah, and Richardson told her he had an ex-girlfriend who grew up there ― and he expressed interest in doing a photo shoot with her. He was already a well-known photographer, and Jones, a longtime model and emerging designer, was intrigued. She gave him her number, and they started texting about scheduling over the following few weeks.

That’s when Jones began to feel nervous. She knew that Richardson did traditional fashion shoots, but she had also seen photos of his that were more risque, even what she considered “vulgar.” Richardson was ― and is ― well known for these hyper-sexualized photos, some of which feature him engaging in sex acts. Jones was wary of the style. She was married at the time to a man she describes as French and “super traditional,” and she was worried that if she was photographed in an explicit way, it would upset her husband. At the time, she had not heard any stories about Richardson being abusive toward the models he worked with.

“I’m very much into art and curating and design,” said Jones. “I’m very much OK with the nude body … even erotic artwork I like sometimes. But there was an element to this particular artwork that had a real vulgarity to it that I was uncomfortable with.”

So instead of automatically agreeing to work with Richardson, Jones asked if they could meet for coffee to discuss the shoot’s mood. He said yes and told her to come to his Bowery studio (which was also his apartment) on a weekday, around 10 a.m.

As soon as she arrived at the studio, Jones said, things took a dark turn. She said she was cornered almost immediately by Richardson, who had a dog with him.

“He didn’t let me pass the doorway,” she said. “If anything, he more, like, cornered me in the doorway with his dog and told me to get on my knees immediately. No ‘How are you?’ No coffee offered. No ‘Welcome to my office. This is my bedroom. How was your day? Can I take your bag?’ ― nothing. It was only, ‘Get on your knees.’”

Jones was so startled and scared ― a “deer in the headlights,” as she described it ― that she acquiesced and got on her knees. “Now that I’m older, maybe I would have ran out,” she said, engaging in a familiar kind of “what if” mental exercise. “I just didn’t feel very secure.”

Once Jones was on her knees, she said, Richardson pulled out his penis and told her to “suck his dick.” She told HuffPost that he then attempted to force his penis into her eye socket. He did this with such force that Jones remembers thinking that he might have given her a black eye. “I just wanted it to be over so I could leave,” she said, later adding: “He kind of turned me into … [in] that moment I was at his disposal, as a commodity.” 

Richardson eventually masturbated to completion, said Jones, ejaculating in her mouth after ordering her to “swallow it like a good girl.” After the assault, Jones said, Richardson immediately told her to leave his apartment, directing her to pull up her low-riding pants on her way out. (She remained clothed during the assault.) Richardson never even brought up the photo shoot they were supposed to discuss.  

“He was like, ‘You need to leave. I have a meeting. Pull your pants up,’” said Jones. Despite rarely crying before that, Jones remembers leaving the studio in tears, walking down to Canal Street and weeping on the sidewalk.  

Over the following five weeks, Jones said, Richardson would text her sexually explicit requests, asking her again to “suck his dick.” After the fifth text, she responded “no” and deleted his number. She said she deleted the texts, too. 

Jones’ experience with Richardson bears similarities to allegations made by other women against the photographer. In 2010, model Jamie Peck accused Richardson of getting naked during a photoshoot and telling her to touch his penis. In 2014, Anna del Gaizo accused the photographer of pressing his penis repeatedly into the side of her face during a photoshoot, and model Sena Cech described a “revolting and humiliating” professional experience during which, she said, Richardson’s assistant asked her “to grab his penis and twist it really hard.”

Despite the wide airing given these stories over the past several years, only in the last few months has Richardson begun to face lasting consequences. In October, both Condé Nast and Hearst cut ties with the photographer. (Richardson had reportedly already shot the January 2018 cover of Elle magazine.) Diesel dropped him, as did Valentino and Bulgari. (Other brands, including H&M, vowed to stop working with the photographer back in 2013.) But Richardson has continued to associate himself with smaller publications, such as Document Journal, Purple Magazine and CR Fashion Book (former Vogue Paris Editor-in-Chief Carine Roitfeld’s magazine) as recently as October. HuffPost contacted all three publications to ask if they planned to work with Richardson in the future and received no response.

The photographer also maintains representation through Art Partner and an ongoing relationship with Galerie Perrotin in New York and Paris. Perrotin did not respond to HuffPost’s requests for comment. 

In the immediate aftermath, Jones said, she kept the incident to herself and never considered reporting it to the police or her agency. After all, she still worked in the fashion industry ― an industry in which Richardson was a known, powerful entity.

This reaction is a fairly common one. According to a 2012 report put out by The Model Alliance, 86.8 percent of models reported having been asked to pose nude without advance notice, nearly 30 percent of models said they had experienced inappropriate touching on the job and 28 percent said they had been pressured to have sex with someone at work. Most of these models said they hadn’t reported these incidents to anyone ― in part because they didn’t believe their agencies would be responsive or even see an issue.

Eventually though, Jones did confide in someone: her best friend, musician and model Sibyl Buck.

Buck confirmed to HuffPost that she and Jones discussed the incident several times over the years, and she recalled their first conversation happening around 2008. “What really struck me as so repulsive is that she described how he was abusive with his dick,” Buck said. She also told HuffPost that “everybody knew” in the fashion industry the stories of Richardson’s abusive behavior ― though before Jones confided in her, Buck had only heard generalized accounts about the photographer.

Jones said she has interacted with Richardson only once since the “coffee meeting.” In September 2013, she was hired to model for the Diesel Playboy calendar, which Richardson was shooting. She grappled with whether to take the job but eventually decided to, feeling it was a smart career move. (More well-known models, such as Stella Maxwell, participated.) She also assumed there would be a large production team, which meant Richardson would probably behave. (“Around celebrities he doesn’t act the same way,” said Jones.)

When she got to the shoot, Richardson introduced himself as though they had never met. At some point, they discussed Utah again, and Jones remembers Richardson talking about his father.

“I can see why people like him,” said Jones. “I’m sure he has this really great, charismatic, creative side. It’s just that he still did the other thing.”

Jones has spoken about her interactions with Richardson to a handful of people besides Buck. In October 2014, she did a shoot with a prominent filmmaker who was researching the worst things that have happened to people living in New York. The filmmaker, who prefers to remain anonymous, asked Jones on camera about her worst day. She told him about that morning with Richardson, later naming her attacker off-camera. The footage was never used in a film, but it still exists. The filmmaker confirmed the date and existence of the footage, as well as Jones’ account of her experience with Richardson to HuffPost.

Even as allegations of sexual misconduct, harassment and assault have piled up against Richardson over the past decade, he’s continued to find work and success in his industry. Buck believes he’s remained somewhat untouchable because of his status as a boundary-pushing artist. 

“Artists are traditionally allowed to be whatever weird way that makes them able to make the art that people appreciate,” said Buck. “He’s not an executive. He’s not someone that people are entrusting millions of dollars to. He’s someone that people hire to do what he does. And what he does is this creepy version of fashion.”

Jones’ traumatic experience with Richardson, as well as a subsequent incident with another photographer that she declined to discuss, left her permanently cautious around male photographers.

“I would warn the whole of the world: I would not enter a photographer’s studio unless there is a huge team there,” she said. “I’m a little PTSD, probably, but I never feel safe entering anyone’s apartment alone ever anymore. I carry pepper spray. I don’t like to enter apartments unless there’s a whole team with a creative director and a call sheet with very top-level production. I won’t go to someone’s house and talk to them about a shoot unless they’re a friend I’ve known for a very long time. Even if they have notoriety ― because a lot of the time, when they have notoriety it’s even worse.” 

I’m a little PTSD, probably, but I never feel safe entering anyone’s apartment alone ever anymore. I carry pepper spray. Lindsay Jones

Jones stressed that, while the story she is sharing now is about Richardson, she believes the fashion industry’s problem with predatory behavior extends further.

“For straight, male photographers ― and a lot of them I love to work with, a lot of them are great ― I do feel like there’s a trend,” she said. “I’ve seen a lot of it ― these kind of ‘photo guys’ in action. And, like I said, it’s a much bigger problem than just Terry. A lot of the top people, and everyone under them too.”

The founder of The Model Alliance, Sara Ziff, agrees with this assessment. Ziff, who began modeling when she was 14 years old, saw firsthand the conditions that leave models “uniquely vulnerable” to sexual harassment and abuse.

In the modeling industry, the labor force skews young and female. (A 2012 Model Alliance report found that the majority of models begin their careers from ages 13 to 16.) And because models are often considered independent contractors, these young women and men aren’t afforded the same protections against sexual harassment in the workplace that full-time employees receive under federal law. It is common practice for modeling agencies to consider themselves management companies rather than employment agencies, which critics say allows these agencies to avoid being accountable for models’ safety, as well as to escape licensing requirements and sidestep commission limits. Moreover, the industry’s convoluted system ― in which clients usually book models through agencies, agencies usually cut the checks to the models, but then the models are typically not considered employees of the agencies or the clients ― means that models can simply slip through the cracks of labor laws.  

Ziff is currently working with New York State Assemblywoman Nily Rozic to pass the Models Harassment Protection Act, which would formally extend workplace protections against sexual harassment to models. Ziff and The Model Alliance feel so strongly about closing the legal loopholes because they believe sexual harassment is widespread.

“[Models] are working in what is often a very predatory environment,” said Ziff. “They’re working with much older male photographers. Often they’re being put on the spot to pose nude or semi-nude with absolutely no warning.”

Agencies often tell models that they don’t have to do anything that they don’t want to do, that they should simply walk away or call their agent if they feel uncomfortable during a shoot. But Ziff pointed out that’s often easier said than done, especially when models are dealing with industry power brokers like Terry Richardson, who can make or break their careers. That’s why one of the first things Ziff did when she launched The Model Alliance in 2012 was to set up a grievance reporting service for models. More than five years later, Ziff said, she gets questions and complaints nearly every day.

Through their reporting service, The Model Alliance advises models and connects them with the necessary support services and legal resources. Ziff usually recommends that models pursue channels of recourse that don’t involve the press; however, she also believes that “sunlight is the best disinfectant, and as people have been raising awareness on social media and speaking out to reporters, it’s been harder and harder for the industry to ignore.” 

Jones knows that there will be people who will question why she waited 10 years to come forward with her story. For years she was afraid to stir up drama or cause irrevocable harm to her career. But in 2017, she’s older and more independent, no longer convinced that her livelihood requires the buy-in of powerful men.

Terry Richardson “may be more powerful than me in the industry, but he doesn’t have that power over me anymore,” Jones said. “Whatever it was in my younger, more docile, aspiring, youthful self that I thought I needed from [powerful men] or the industry or their approval that I accept[ed] this treatment as part of the way it is, I don’t believe that anymore.”  

Part of what pushed Jones to come forward now is the feeling that the culture is shifting, too. Millions have shared their #MeToo stories on social media. The “Silence Breakers” are Time’s Person of the Year. After a decade of worrying that speaking up might cost her her career, Jones thinks people might be ready to listen.

“What’s happening right now is some kind of movement. There is some kind of strength in numbers,” Jones said. “Maybe it can make a ping of a difference in the world in a positive way eventually if we start to stand up for ourselves a little bit. So I guess that’s the real hope.”

http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

[usnewsaggregator-blog]

New Allegation: Photographer Terry Richardson Sexually Assaulted Designer In His Studio Doorway

New Post has been published on https://usnewsaggregator.com/arts-culture/new-allegation-photographer-terry-richardson-sexually-assaulted-designer-in-his-studio-doorway/

New Allegation: Photographer Terry Richardson Sexually Assaulted Designer In His Studio Doorway

Lindsay Jones never planned to speak publicly about her experiences with prolific fashion photographer Terry Richardson. The New York City-based designer and model considers herself a private person. She never wanted to harm anyone’s livelihood or hurt her own career or “cause drama” by divulging her story, she says.

But some stories are too important to stay buried forever ― especially at a moment when thousands of accounts, some similar to the one Jones has kept close to her chest, are being excavated.

“I have been sitting there quiet … for a long time,” Jones told HuffPost. No more.

Jones contacted HuffPost last month to talk about Richardson, famous for shooting the likes of Miley Cyrus, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Lena Dunham, Oprah Winfrey, James Franco, Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Jared Leto, Kate Moss and former President Barack Obama. During several phone conversations, Jones recalled how she met the photographer in either 2007 or 2008 for what she thought was a 10 a.m. coffee. She said she ended up leaving his studio in tears after Richardson cornered her, pulled out his penis and assaulted her.

She said she chose to come forward now because she believes it could help other women ― specifically younger women entering the modeling and fashion industry today. Though Jones stressed that the culture of predatory men in fashion includes more than just Richardson, he is certainly emblematic of the problem. The photographer has faced public allegations of sexual misconduct and assault for nearly a decade, but he has denied the abuse accusations and has continued to get work from major brands and publications. 

Many of his defenders, (and Richardson himself) reason that the incidents happened during the making of sexually charged art, when lines supposedly get blurred. But Jones’ story is different. In her telling, Richardson assaulted her after she’d barely gotten in the door.

Through his attorney, Lisa M. Buckley, Richardson “adamantly” denied Jones’ allegations. In a letter, Buckley referred to Jones as “an opportunistic publicity seeker” and said her account of the incident is “completely inconsistent with her actions over the ensuing years.” Buckley cited emails sent by Jones in which she asked to model for Richardson, retweets from Jones’ Twitter account and two comments on an Instagram post.

When presented with Buckley’s letter, Jones told HuffPost via text, “It still happened so I’m not [too] alarmed.” Of her wish to work with Richardson after the alleged assault, Jones said, “I was brainwashed into thinking it was good for my career but I feel more empowered now.”

Jones said she first met Richardson outside of Balthazar, an expensive and perpetually sceney French restaurant in New York, sometime in 2007. Richardson was with a friend, sitting on a bench outside the restaurant. Jones said they began speaking after he motioned her over and asked where she was from. They talked about Utah ― Jones is from Utah, and Richardson told her he had an ex-girlfriend who grew up there ― and he expressed interest in doing a photo shoot with her. He was already a well-known photographer, and Jones, a longtime model and emerging designer, was intrigued. She gave him her number, and they started texting about scheduling over the following few weeks.

That’s when Jones began to feel nervous. She knew that Richardson did traditional fashion shoots, but she had also seen photos of his that were more risque, even what she considered “vulgar.” Richardson was ― and is ― well known for these hyper-sexualized photos, some of which feature him engaging in sex acts. Jones was wary of the style. She was married at the time to a man she describes as French and “super traditional,” and she was worried that if she was photographed in an explicit way, it would upset her husband. At the time, she had not heard any stories about Richardson being abusive toward the models he worked with.

“I’m very much into art and curating and design,” said Jones. “I’m very much OK with the nude body … even erotic artwork I like sometimes. But there was an element to this particular artwork that had a real vulgarity to it that I was uncomfortable with.”

So instead of automatically agreeing to work with Richardson, Jones asked if they could meet for coffee to discuss the shoot’s mood. He said yes and told her to come to his Bowery studio (which was also his apartment) on a weekday, around 10 a.m.

As soon as she arrived at the studio, Jones said, things took a dark turn. She said she was cornered almost immediately by Richardson, who had a dog with him.

“He didn’t let me pass the doorway,” she said. “If anything, he more, like, cornered me in the doorway with his dog and told me to get on my knees immediately. No ‘How are you?’ No coffee offered. No ‘Welcome to my office. This is my bedroom. How was your day? Can I take your bag?’ ― nothing. It was only, ‘Get on your knees.’”

Jones was so startled and scared ― a “deer in the headlights,” as she described it ― that she acquiesced and got on her knees. “Now that I’m older, maybe I would have ran out,” she said, engaging in a familiar kind of “what if” mental exercise. “I just didn’t feel very secure.”

Once Jones was on her knees, she said, Richardson pulled out his penis and told her to “suck his dick.” She told HuffPost that he then attempted to force his penis into her eye socket. He did this with such force that Jones remembers thinking that he might have given her a black eye. “I just wanted it to be over so I could leave,” she said, later adding: “He kind of turned me into … [in] that moment I was at his disposal, as a commodity.” 

Richardson eventually masturbated to completion, said Jones, ejaculating in her mouth after ordering her to “swallow it like a good girl.” After the assault, Jones said, Richardson immediately told her to leave his apartment, directing her to pull up her low-riding pants on her way out. (She remained clothed during the assault.) Richardson never even brought up the photo shoot they were supposed to discuss.  

“He was like, ‘You need to leave. I have a meeting. Pull your pants up,’” said Jones. Despite rarely crying before that, Jones remembers leaving the studio in tears, walking down to Canal Street and weeping on the sidewalk.  

Over the following five weeks, Jones said, Richardson would text her sexually explicit requests, asking her again to “suck his dick.” After the fifth text, she responded “no” and deleted his number. She said she deleted the texts, too. 

Jones’ experience with Richardson bears similarities to allegations made by other women against the photographer. In 2010, model Jamie Peck accused Richardson of getting naked during a photoshoot and telling her to touch his penis. In 2014, Anna del Gaizo accused the photographer of pressing his penis repeatedly into the side of her face during a photoshoot, and model Sena Cech described a “revolting and humiliating” professional experience during which, she said, Richardson’s assistant asked her “to grab his penis and twist it really hard.”

Despite the wide airing given these stories over the past several years, only in the last few months has Richardson begun to face lasting consequences. In October, both Condé Nast and Hearst cut ties with the photographer. (Richardson had reportedly already shot the January 2018 cover of Elle magazine.) Diesel dropped him, as did Valentino and Bulgari. (Other brands, including H&M, vowed to stop working with the photographer back in 2013.) But Richardson has continued to associate himself with smaller publications, such as Document Journal, Purple Magazine and CR Fashion Book (former Vogue Paris Editor-in-Chief Carine Roitfeld’s magazine) as recently as October. HuffPost contacted all three publications to ask if they planned to work with Richardson in the future and received no response.

The photographer also maintains representation through Art Partner and an ongoing relationship with Galerie Perrotin in New York and Paris. Perrotin did not respond to HuffPost’s requests for comment. 

In the immediate aftermath, Jones said, she kept the incident to herself and never considered reporting it to the police or her agency. After all, she still worked in the fashion industry ― an industry in which Richardson was a known, powerful entity.

This reaction is a fairly common one. According to a 2012 report put out by The Model Alliance, 86.8 percent of models reported having been asked to pose nude without advance notice, nearly 30 percent of models said they had experienced inappropriate touching on the job and 28 percent said they had been pressured to have sex with someone at work. Most of these models said they hadn’t reported these incidents to anyone ― in part because they didn’t believe their agencies would be responsive or even see an issue.

Eventually though, Jones did confide in someone: her best friend, musician and model Sibyl Buck.

Buck confirmed to HuffPost that she and Jones discussed the incident several times over the years, and she recalled their first conversation happening around 2008. “What really struck me as so repulsive is that she described how he was abusive with his dick,” Buck said. She also told HuffPost that “everybody knew” in the fashion industry the stories of Richardson’s abusive behavior ― though before Jones confided in her, Buck had only heard generalized accounts about the photographer.

Jones said she has interacted with Richardson only once since the “coffee meeting.” In September 2013, she was hired to model for the Diesel Playboy calendar, which Richardson was shooting. She grappled with whether to take the job but eventually decided to, feeling it was a smart career move. (More well-known models, such as Stella Maxwell, participated.) She also assumed there would be a large production team, which meant Richardson would probably behave. (“Around celebrities he doesn’t act the same way,” said Jones.)

When she got to the shoot, Richardson introduced himself as though they had never met. At some point, they discussed Utah again, and Jones remembers Richardson talking about his father.

“I can see why people like him,” said Jones. “I’m sure he has this really great, charismatic, creative side. It’s just that he still did the other thing.”

Jones has spoken about her interactions with Richardson to a handful of people besides Buck. In October 2014, she did a shoot with a prominent filmmaker who was researching the worst things that have happened to people living in New York. The filmmaker, who prefers to remain anonymous, asked Jones on camera about her worst day. She told him about that morning with Richardson, later naming her attacker off-camera. The footage was never used in a film, but it still exists. The filmmaker confirmed the date and existence of the footage, as well as Jones’ account of her experience with Richardson to HuffPost.

Even as allegations of sexual misconduct, harassment and assault have piled up against Richardson over the past decade, he’s continued to find work and success in his industry. Buck believes he’s remained somewhat untouchable because of his status as a boundary-pushing artist. 

“Artists are traditionally allowed to be whatever weird way that makes them able to make the art that people appreciate,” said Buck. “He’s not an executive. He’s not someone that people are entrusting millions of dollars to. He’s someone that people hire to do what he does. And what he does is this creepy version of fashion.”

Jones’ traumatic experience with Richardson, as well as a subsequent incident with another photographer that she declined to discuss, left her permanently cautious around male photographers.

“I would warn the whole of the world: I would not enter a photographer’s studio unless there is a huge team there,” she said. “I’m a little PTSD, probably, but I never feel safe entering anyone’s apartment alone ever anymore. I carry pepper spray. I don’t like to enter apartments unless there’s a whole team with a creative director and a call sheet with very top-level production. I won’t go to someone’s house and talk to them about a shoot unless they’re a friend I’ve known for a very long time. Even if they have notoriety ― because a lot of the time, when they have notoriety it’s even worse.” 

I’m a little PTSD, probably, but I never feel safe entering anyone’s apartment alone ever anymore. I carry pepper spray. Lindsay Jones

Jones stressed that, while the story she is sharing now is about Richardson, she believes the fashion industry’s problem with predatory behavior extends further.

“For straight, male photographers ― and a lot of them I love to work with, a lot of them are great ― I do feel like there’s a trend,” she said. “I’ve seen a lot of it ― these kind of ‘photo guys’ in action. And, like I said, it’s a much bigger problem than just Terry. A lot of the top people, and everyone under them too.”

The founder of The Model Alliance, Sara Ziff, agrees with this assessment. Ziff, who began modeling when she was 14 years old, saw firsthand the conditions that leave models “uniquely vulnerable” to sexual harassment and abuse.

In the modeling industry, the labor force skews young and female. (A 2012 Model Alliance report found that the majority of models begin their careers from ages 13 to 16.) And because models are often considered independent contractors, these young women and men aren’t afforded the same protections against sexual harassment in the workplace that full-time employees receive under federal law. It is common practice for modeling agencies to consider themselves management companies rather than employment agencies, which critics say allows these agencies to avoid being accountable for models’ safety, as well as to escape licensing requirements and sidestep commission limits. Moreover, the industry’s convoluted system ― in which clients usually book models through agencies, agencies usually cut the checks to the models, but then the models are typically not considered employees of the agencies or the clients ― means that models can simply slip through the cracks of labor laws.  

Ziff is currently working with New York State Assemblywoman Nily Rozic to pass the Models Harassment Protection Act, which would formally extend workplace protections against sexual harassment to models. Ziff and The Model Alliance feel so strongly about closing the legal loopholes because they believe sexual harassment is widespread.

“[Models] are working in what is often a very predatory environment,” said Ziff. “They’re working with much older male photographers. Often they’re being put on the spot to pose nude or semi-nude with absolutely no warning.”

Agencies often tell models that they don’t have to do anything that they don’t want to do, that they should simply walk away or call their agent if they feel uncomfortable during a shoot. But Ziff pointed out that’s often easier said than done, especially when models are dealing with industry power brokers like Terry Richardson, who can make or break their careers. That’s why one of the first things Ziff did when she launched The Model Alliance in 2012 was to set up a grievance reporting service for models. More than five years later, Ziff said, she gets questions and complaints nearly every day.

Through their reporting service, The Model Alliance advises models and connects them with the necessary support services and legal resources. Ziff usually recommends that models pursue channels of recourse that don’t involve the press; however, she also believes that “sunlight is the best disinfectant, and as people have been raising awareness on social media and speaking out to reporters, it’s been harder and harder for the industry to ignore.” 

Jones knows that there will be people who will question why she waited 10 years to come forward with her story. For years she was afraid to stir up drama or cause irrevocable harm to her career. But in 2017, she’s older and more independent, no longer convinced that her livelihood requires the buy-in of powerful men.

Terry Richardson “may be more powerful than me in the industry, but he doesn’t have that power over me anymore,” Jones said. “Whatever it was in my younger, more docile, aspiring, youthful self that I thought I needed from [powerful men] or the industry or their approval that I accept[ed] this treatment as part of the way it is, I don’t believe that anymore.”  

Part of what pushed Jones to come forward now is the feeling that the culture is shifting, too. Millions have shared their #MeToo stories on social media. The “Silence Breakers” are Time’s Person of the Year. After a decade of worrying that speaking up might cost her her career, Jones thinks people might be ready to listen.

“What’s happening right now is some kind of movement. There is some kind of strength in numbers,” Jones said. “Maybe it can make a ping of a difference in the world in a positive way eventually if we start to stand up for ourselves a little bit. So I guess that’s the real hope.”

Original Article:

Click here